Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s novel “Noticia de un Secuestro” (News of a Kidnapping) is becoming a best-seller in Tehran, Iran, reported newspaper El Espectador.
The Colombian author became a top-seller in the country after the former Prime Minister Mir Hussein Musavi, hostage of the Iranian regime since the beginning of the year, told his daughters last week “if you want to know about my situation in captivity, read Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s ‘News of a Kidnapping.'”
Mousavi’s comments were heard around the globe via Iran’s online community, prompting hundreds of opposition supporters to seek out the book. According to UK newspaper the Guardian, “News of a Kidnapping” was initially published in English in 1997 and describes the abduction of high-profile Colombians in the early 1990s, including journalists and politicians, on the orders of the drug kingpin Pablo Escobar. However, the Iranian ex-prime minister feels the story remains relevant to the current struggle and conflict rampant throughout Iran, including his own experience of being held captive under house arrest.
The Guardian reported, “an Iranian news website, Aftab, listed the book at the top of the best-seller chart and Shargh, a reformist newspaper, reported an unprecedented demand for the book in big bookshops in Tehran. Supporters of Mr Mousavi have launched a Facebook page called ‘News of a Kidnapping, the status of a president in captivity’, where readers have posted sections of the book.”